


Truly Awful

by SusanaR



Series: Desperate Hours Alternative Universe G version (DH AU G) [37]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe, Banter, Brotherly Affection, Friendship, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-13
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-07 10:12:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3171047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SusanaR/pseuds/SusanaR
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aragorn's friends and family talk about Kings and Kingship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truly Awful

**Author's Note:**

> A cut-scene of sorts, set not long after "Surprisingly Victorious," Chapter 7 of The Road to Barad-dur and Back- Gen Version

It was Legolas who noticed the next time that Aragorn felt overwhelmed by the prospect of Kingship, and therefore it was Legolas (and Gimli) who came to badger him into some semblance at least of confidence and good cheer.

"How hard can it be?" Legolas said in a fortifying tone, "My father does it." 

Aragorn looked up, and sure enough, Gimli's beard was twitching. Meeting the King's eyes was too much; the dwarf could no longer suppress his merry, rumbling laugh. 

Legolas glared without heat at their dwarven friend. "I mean," the elven prince clarified, "That other capable leaders of my acquaintance do it, you bearded jackanapes." 

"Jackanapes!" Gimli objected, still chuckling. 

"I've done it," Legolas continued after a friendly sneer, "When my father was wounded, or away from the Wood." 

"Then anyone truly can....." Added Gimli, grinning. 

Switching to the tactic of loftily ignoring Gimli, Legolas continued, "and Aragorn has fewer spiders, and, this one year aside, fewer orcs than I had to deal with at the time." 

That made Aragorn think of the orcs, and bandits, and wargs, and other dark creatures roving over his land, and along his land's long unfriendly borders, and wondered how he - how they- would manage to deal with all of that. In addition to making sure that everyone was fed, and laws were administered, and....well, Aragorn was not entirely sure that he remembered all of what else needed to get done to run a kingdom. For once, Legolas and Gimli's amusing banter was not enough to lift his mood. 

A large, calloused hand fell gently on the shoulder of the new King of Men. 

"Ye've led us this far." Said Gimli, his voice soft and deep and reassuring, "All of us. I think that means that ye can do pretty much anything ye set your mind to, Aragorn my friend." 

As sudden as a breeze, Aragorn's two twin foster-brothers sat down on either side of him. Gandalf took a seat across the fire, nodding fondly to Aragorn in greeting. 

"Of course you can." Said Elrohir staunchly, agreeing with Gimli. 

"In fact," Elladan continued, "The real question isn't whether you'll do a good job as King, it's.... What shall we call you?" 

"I beg your pardon?" Asked Aragorn, as Legolas shook his head, indicating both that he did not know, and also that Legolas thought Aragorn likely didn't want to know. 

"Yes," Elrohir continued, "Shall we call you muindor-dithen aran nin? Our little brother king?" 

"Or tithen aran muin nin? Our dear little King?" 

"Or muindor-laes-aran-nin? Our baby-brother King?" 

"Or it might be better in Westron. King baby-brother." 

"High-King baby-brother." 

"Truly," Legolas interrupted, "The two of you are not helping." 

"Truly," Elrohir countered, undoubtedly trying his best to mimic Legolas' exact tone but not quite managing it, "Muindor-laes, you are worrying over something that will take care of itself. After all, you can't possibly be a worse King than Eldacar, and he did fine enough." 

Aragorn sighed, and then frowned. "Wait a moment- I thought that the two of you had liked King Eldacar of Arnor. Very much, in fact. Don't you have a portrait of him and his children in your sitting room?" 

"Oh, we loved Eldacar." Elladan affirmed, with an affectionate smile. 

"But he was an awful king." Elrohir explained, "Truly terrible. And he had the worst advisors, at first. But he picked up on that, in time." 

"He was a good man," Elladan agreed, "and a clever and loyal one. He found better advisors, learned when he had to listen to them, when he had to seek other viewpoints, and when he had to do things himself. He didn't try to run the kingdom alone, or with only the help of one faction." 

"Otherwise, it would have been a disaster." 

"Of epic proportions." 

"We miss Eldacar still." Elrohir explained wistfully. 

"In fact," Elladan elaborated, "to the extent that we don't have a complex about our having been difficult adolescents, we owe that to Eldacar." 

"He thought we were perfect." Said Elrohir with another wistful smile. 

Aragorn, remembering something from his lessons as a child, couldn't quite hide a smile. "Hmm," he began, happy to to be able to get a bit of his own back, "Erestor did once describe Eldacar as more than capable of denying reality whenever he pleased." 

"Haha." Replied Elrohir dryly. 

Gandalf chuckled. "I rather liked you, both of you, from the start." 

"Thank you." Said Elladan, pleased. 

Elrohir's sole focus remained on Aragorn. "You'll also be a better King than Earnur, muindor-laes." 

"Elrohir and I had a tremendous amount of respect for Earnur as a war-leader." 

"He was better than you, muindor-laes, better than Thranduil. Even Glorfindel admired him. I'm not sure that Middle Earth has ever seen his equal." Said Elrohir, from whom this was high praise indeed. 

"However, Earnur was not a good king," Elladan explained, "His last error, but by no means his first, was that he left his Kingdom heirless to go and answer a challenge from a foe he had been forewarned that he could not defeat." 

Elrohir nodded. "I am sure that you can be a better King, Aragorn." 

"Now that you know that all of those scholarly things you used to hate to do matter, of course." 

"Before, how could you be blamed for neglecting them?" 

"And," Elladan added, "if you are bad at it - which we don't think that you will be -" 

"You'll be smart enough to realize it, and honest and brave enough to admit it," 

"And then you'll find good advisors, like Eldacar." 

"And my father, for that matter." Legolas added, half-apologetically, "His patience for non-military matters is....hmm, ah..." 

"Non-existent?" Offered Elladan with a mischievous grin. Aragorn thought that he might have heard an amused huff of agreement from Gandalf. 

"Measured." Corrected Legolas, casting an irritated glance in Elladan's direction. 

Gimli cleared his throat, "Dain Ironfoot is a great King. But he has oft-times said that he is only able to rule well because he has my father and other steadfast friends as his advisors." 

Elrohir nodded regally, before returning his attention yet again to Aragorn. "In any case, muindor-laes, you'll find good advisors, and administrators, and you'll learn." 

"It really will turn out well, Estel. Trust us." Said Elladan, knocking his knee against Aragorn's. 

"I'm betting on you." Elrohir added, kicking Aragorn's other ankle. 

"Thank you, gwedyr-nin, my brothers, my friends." Said Aragorn, placing one hand over Elladan's hand on his left knee and the other over Elrohir's nearer knee. 

The twins squeezed his hands, then arose, pulling Aragorn to his feet along with them. 

"No, really, he is actually betting on you." Elladan explained, with a brotherly grin, "A lot of gold, and some of it mine." 

"Betting on you with complete confidence, muindor-laes. You'll do fine." Said Elrohir. Then the twins each pressed a kiss to Aragorn's brow, and went on their way, likely planning to boggle the mind of at least one more person before the last stars made their appearance.


End file.
